Prospects
by Leslie Emm
Summary: In response to Smuffly's challenge on the forum. Danny Messer has promotion prospects...doesn't he? One shot.


Prospects

_This is for Smuffly's quote swap challenge on the challenge forum. You got to choose numbers and were given a character, a familiar CSI place and a quote from the show spoken by one of the characters. I got Danny Messer, Mac's office and the quote _"_Did you just bust out your game on me?"__ (originally spoken by Jessica Angell to Flack) The quote is highlighted in bold. Hope you like :) The title isn't great – it kind of stumped me._

…...

The lab was quiet, too damned quiet for the liking of Detective Danny Messer.

He glared at the DNA sequencer again.

"Takin' your sweet time" he muttered.

Everything else was in order, he'd even washed the equipment he'd used he was that bored, and even at home, Danny Messer did _not_ do the dishes. He'd bought a dishwasher for that specific reason.

He took a last look at the machine and huffed, wandering out into the hall. He checked his cell, 5.25am. He sighed at the time, almost two hours until his eternal night shift finished, even Mac wasn't there. Only the silent, white coated ghosts that drifted from room to room setting things straight and re stocking the lab for the next days shift. A day where Danny would be in bed whilst Lindsay tried to keep an active little girl quiet enough for him to grab some shut eye. At least he'd see them both it being Lindsay's day off.

He did however allow himself a smile at the picture under the clock on his cell, Lindsay and Lucy on their last family day out, smiling out at him from under hats, scarves and thick coats.

He ran his finger along the glass as he wandered aimlessly. Danny wasn't used to inactivity. As much as he complained about the pace of his life, the speed and volume of the results he was expected to produce on investigations, on the rare occasions life slowed down, it unsettled him. He got restless.

But the reason he was here at night at all was on that picture. He'd taken an extra shift, supervising the lab overnight because it would stand him in good stead for promotions that might come up, and the extra money would be useful.

Reminded of his long term career plans he looked up and through the glass of Mac's office, seeing the desk, the couch and pictures and the sign that announced Mac's name and position to those who cared to look.

Biting his lip and casting a brief look around Danny opened the door with only a slight amount of guilt slipping into the boss' office with him.

"Well I _am_ in charge tonight" he muttered to himself as he stood just inside the door, looking at what he privately termed 'The inner sanctum'.

It didn't feel _that_ wrong.

Looking around again he walked to the other side of the desk, Mac's side. He'd been on the other side more times than he cared to remember. Asking and taking advice, both personal and professional. Receiving praise, throwing ideas around. It was the uncomfortable memories Danny chose to relive then though, but rather from his point of view, he looked across Mac's desk and took his position in more ways than physically. He imagined himself now confronted with a younger version of himself. Shouting the odds, making excuses for poor performance, bad mistakes and general misconduct.

Danny sat in Mac's chair as he remembered, pondering how _he_ might react in the situations that he'd brought to Mac and himself in the past. How he'd deal with a hot headed detective desperate to prove himself by almost any means possible. He didn't know if he'd have had Mac's faith in him, at the times Danny had sat opposite where he was now, he had had very little faith in himself, but Mac had stuck with him, even through situations that could have cost Mac in his own career, the man had always believed in him. Sitting there, in Mac's place, Danny didn't understand, but for the first time he truly appreciated the complexity of the job he one day hoped to do. And he believed in himself finally, one day he'd sit in this chair as his own and face his own detectives over the desk and make the decisions.

"Detective First Grade Danny Messer" he grinned "Head of the Crime Lab, CSI level three and all round good guy"

Stretching his arms in a theatrical gesture to fold them, he knocked the wireless mouse on the desk, the screen behind him flickered and then powered up, the extra light catching his attention.

Studying the image on the screen Danny smiled.

"You're a dark horse Mac Taylor" he said quietly, turning towards the screen and giving it his full attention before jumping up and heading for the AV lab. Rifling through the chaos that was Adam Ross' domain Danny found what he wanted and went back to Mac's office.

Grinning he fired up the monitor again and settled back into the chair.

…...

"Oh you didn't!" Danny exclaimed as the character on the screen he played took another hit from the figure that advanced towards him in the virtual world he was immersed in.

"Oh like that huh?" he chuckled as he readied his next assault **"Did you just bust out your game on me?"**

"I'm gonna bust your ass out my chair" came a sardonic voice behind him.

Danny ripped the headpiece off as he leapt to his feet and turned around, leaving the character on the screen to his fate and the chair swinging wildly behind him.

"Oh, huh, hey Mac" at least he had the grace to look ashamed.

"What are you doing Danny?"

Mac questioned him with his eyes, and in a flash of comprehension Danny realised it wasn't which side of the desk you stood that dictated seniority, it was the years of blood sweat and tears racking up experience and respect.

"I uh...ahem" Danny floundered for an answer that wouldn't have him in the dog house.

"Tryin' my office on for size?" Mac asked, his expression giving nothing away.

"Somethin' like that" Danny agreed with a nervous laugh.

"How's it fit?"

"I er, dunno boss...just ya know, long nightshift..." Danny mumbled.

"I think it'll fit just fine" Mac told him with a smile, walking around to his usual side of the desk, barely controlling a smirk as Danny shuffled back around to the side he was accustomed to "In time, I'm not ready to retire yet"

"No of course" Danny waffled "Doin' a great job...Anyway I got work to do..."

"Yes you do" Mac turned from looking at the screen behind his desk back to Danny "Off you go then"

"Right, boss thanks" Danny smiled sheepishly as he opened the door and turned to leave.

"Danny?" Mac called.

_Here it comes_ Danny thought.

"Yeah boss?"

"You get past the guy in the bar?" Mac asked, gesturing towards the screen.

"What?!" Danny frowned "Oh..right...yeah"

"Thanks" Mac grinned "I had trouble with that"

"Oh, uh..you're welcome?" Danny returned "Though I gotta say...you're the last guy I expected to be playing shoot 'em up games..."

"Adam installed it after Sheldon recommended something like that to improve my dexterity and reaction time after the shooting" Mac explained as he picked up the devices Danny had been using "And now, well I'm addicted"

Danny laughed as he took the items from him.

"You'd better return them to Adam" Mac said "And for future reference, there's a headset and controller in the bottom drawer, should you work another quiet night shift"

"I...yes, right, thanks" Danny stumbled through his surprise and took his leave.

Mac shook his head with a wry smile and cancelled the screen display, ready to start his working day.


End file.
